Hello all,
I have a Karate Monkey that I am setting up for a tour later this year. I am curious about the best front rack for this frame, using the Karate Monkey fork, standard. I know that the Surly Nice Rack is available, but for my needs, it's a bit much. So, I was looking at the Jandd Extreme, which I like for the platform top, but it does not look to be wide enough to fit over the heavy tapered fork of the KM. I also am looking at the Axiom Journey 2 Low Rack, which looks like it will hold onto the beefy fork, but may not make it around my disc brake (Avid BB7 Road mechanical). I have also take a look at the Old Man Mountain line. These rely on the skewers that they provide, and I do not know how well this will work with the Alfine Dynamo hub I will be adding in the next few weeks. I do think that I need something lower to the ground up front, but up until now, have only used smaller rear panniers. I don't have any experience with front racks, so any help is appreciated. I typically use the Topeak MTX DXP and Explorer rack Disc for my daily ~20 mile commute, but I will be taking Ortlieb Front and Back Roller Panniers with me on a ~550 mile trip in May.

Hmmm, yeah, that's a lot too narrow. I need at least 6" inside to be able to mount the front rack. Thanks so much for the help, though. I guess the Jandd is out for sure. It's times like this that I wish my LBS (all three of them) gave a crap about commuting or touring at all. I can't even go to a shop and try a dry fit.

The Jannd Extreme definitely does not fit. I had good luck with the Old Man Mountain Sherpa on my KM, but it is slightly annoying to have to use the quick-release mount, especially since the KM fork has lower eyelets.
I'd say your best bet is the Surly rack, as long as you don't mind the weight and cost.